By Demetrios Panagopoulos
There is a lot of talk every year during the days that the Triodion opens, both by the so-called believers, as well as by the non-believers, the indifferent, and indeed mainly by them.
But there is a misunderstanding regarding the interpretation of the words "opening of the Triodion".
Because we see the unbelievers, the cold, the indifferent in matters of religion, but also many of the Christians in name, interpreting the words "opening of the Triodion" to mean that the period has come for revelry, masquerade, debauchery, intoxication, corruption of soul and body. That is why we see so many strange things taking place these days.
However, the real interpretation of the "opening of the Triodion" is not the above, but the below.
First, this period is called the period of the Triodion, and also the "opening of the Triodion", because of a book of our Orthodox Church called "Katanyktikon Triodion" (Solemn Triodion) and which the Church withdraws from its library on Saturday evening, that is, on the eve of the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, and placing it on the lectern she reads and sings from it until midnight on Great Saturday when the Resurrection takes place, and then withdraws it, putting in its place another book of hers called the "Pentecostarion".
With this book, the "Katanyktikon Triodion", the Church teaches people about matters of salvation.
This large book is divided into three periods.
The first begins with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee and ends with Cheesefare Sunday.
The second begins on so-called Clean Monday, the day after Cheesefare, and ends on Palm Sunday.
And the third begins from Great Monday, the day after Palm Sunday, and ends at midnight of Great Saturday towards Sunday, when according to the Constitutions of the Apostles the Resurrection took place.
In its first period, it presents four Gospel passages very instructive and necessary for anyone who wants to know correctly the issues of their salvation.
The first passage is that of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke. 18:10-14), which presents two people, one of whom had worldly works (the Pharisee) and was rejected by God, and the other (the Publican) was justified because he recognized his sinfulness, asking God for mercy with the words: "God make atonement for me the sinner".
The second passage is the so-called Prodigal Son (Luke. 15:25-32), which also presents two people, where one, although he sinned (the prodigal) repented, confessed, received communion (of the fattened calf) and was saved, while the other who was satisfied with his righteousness, with his works: "Behold, I have worked for you these many years and I have never failed you" (Luke 15:29), was rejected, he did not enter.
So after presenting these two great Gospel passages, in which the way of man's salvation is clearly taught, that is, that he is not saved by his works alone, but by the sacrifice of the Son of God, the "fattened calf", he comes to the third Sunday which is Meatfare Sunday where it teaches that we must be careful, because one day He will sit as a judge to judge us. That is why the Gospel of the Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) is read to us which is a parable and a prophecy together. It is a parable, because it likens the righteous to sheep and the unbelievers to goats, and a prophecy, because it says: "When the Son of Man comes", etc.
And finally, in order to introduce us to the second part of the preparation of Great Lent, to receive our crucified, buried and risen God coming at the end of the period, we are reminded of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise on Cheesefare Sunday (which we call carnival, falsely of course), and thus closes the first part of this great period of the Triodion.
Then we are introduced to the second part of the period which is the so-called Great Lent and begins with Clean Week, and in fact with the so-called Clean Monday, which we with our unbelief consider to be the dirtiest of the year. Clean Monday finds the First-Created cast out of Eden weeping and beating their faces asking for mercy. Our holy Church chants about this matter:
"Adam was banished from paradise for disobedience and rejected from its delight, beguiled by the words of a woman, and sat naked near that place, lamenting and crying out, ‘Woe is me!’ Let us also take care to raise ourselves to the time of fasting, submitting to the Gospel traditions, that by them we might become pleasing to Christ and again reach the habitations of paradise."
During these weeks of the period of Great Lent, on Wednesdays and Fridays, our holy Church holds the Service of the Presanctified Gifts, where the faithful can increase their attendance at the Cup of Life (Divine Communion), so that they get strength for the struggle of fasting and temperance of Great Lent.
Finally we reach Palm Sunday which is the end of the second period, and we now enter Great Week, the so-called week of the Holy Passion, where the teaching of Jesus' Incarnation with the Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection is fulfilled.
So this is the "Triodion" in a nutshell and the purpose of its opening.
But because this works towards a salvific purpose, it is thwarted by the Devil and his horde, who also opens his own Triodion and calls us there, promising instead of fasting, gluttony, instead of temperance and sobriety, enjoyment and pleasures, and instead of mourning and tears, laughter and carnivals.
However, let us not forget that in the one "Triodion" of the Church it is Christ who is the protagonist, while in the other "Triodion" of the world the Devil is the protagonist.
One calls to salvation, the other to perdition. It is up to us to choose: Jesus or Barabbas.
Joy to those who join Jesus and woe to those who join Barabbas.
Source: From the periodical Όσιος Φιλόθεος της Πάρου, vol. 16, 2006, p. 17. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.